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XVII] The Aragiyas from Nāthamuni to Rāmānuja rīkākṣa Uyyakoņdār is supposed to have very much influenced the character of Kurukānātha, who in the end entered into yoga and died. Rāma Miśra was born in the city of Saugandhakulya, in a Brahmin family, and was a pupil of Puņdarīkākṣa. The name of Puņdarīkākşa's wife was Aņdā). Puņdarīkākṣa asked Rāma Miśra (Manakkal-lambej) to teach Yamuna all that he was taught. Yamuna, however, was not born during the life of Puņdarīkākṣa, and Puņdarīkākṣa only prophesied his birth in accordance with the old prophecy of Nāthamuni. Rāma Miśra had four disciples, excluding Yāmuna, of whom Lakşmi was the most prominent?. He used to stay in Srirangam and expound the doctrines of the Vedānta.
Yāmunācārya, otherwise called Alavandār, son of Isvaramuni and grandson of Nāthamuni, was born probably in A.D. 918 and is said to have died in A.D. 1038. He learned the Vedas from Rāma Mliśra, and was reputed to be a great debater?. Becoming a king, he was duly married and had two sons named Vararanga and Soțțhapūrņa. He lived happily for a long time, enjoying his riches, and took no notice of Rāma Miśra. But Rāma Miśra with some difficulty obtained access to him and availed himself of the opportunity to teach him the Bhagavad-gitā, which aroused the spirit of detachment in him, and he followed Rāma Miśra to Śrīrangam and, renouncing everything, becarne a great devotee. One of the last
1 (1) Taivattuk-k-arasu-Nambi; (2) Gomathattut-tiruvinnagar-appan; (3) Sirup-pullur-udava-Pillai; (4) Vangi-puratt-acchi. (See The Life of Rāmānuja, by Govindachāryar, p. 14.)
2 The Prapannāmrta relates a story of Yamuna's debating power at the age of twelve. The king of the place had a priest of the name of Akkaialvan, who was a great debater. Yāmuna challenged him and defeated him in an open debate held in the court of the king. He was given half the kingdom as a reward. He seems to have been very arrogant in his earlier days, if the wording of his challenge found in the Prapannänısta can be believed. The words of challenge run as follows:
å sailăd adri-kanya-carana-kisalaya-nyäsa-dhanyopakanthäd ā rakso-nita-sitā-mukha-kamala-samulläsa-hetoś ca setoh ă ca prācya-praticya-kşiti-dhara-yuga tadarkacandrāvatamsan mīmāmsā-śāstra-yugma-śrama-vimala-manā mrgyatām mādsso'nyah
Ch. III. 3 A story is told in the Prapannāmsta that, when Yamuna became a king and inaccessible to him, Rāma Misra was concerned how he could carry out the commands of his teachers and initiate Yamuna to the path of devotion. He got in touch with Yamuna's cook, and for six months presented some green vegetables (alarka-saka) which Yāmuna very much liked. When, after the six months, the king asked how the rare vegetables found their way into the kitchen, Rama Miśra stayed away for four days praying to Ranganatha, the deity, to tell him how he could approach Yamuna. In the meanwhile the king missed the green vegetables and asked his cook to present Rama Miśra when next he should come to the kitchen. Rāma Miśra was thus presented to Yamuna.
DIII
